At the Theatre
by Write-To-You
Summary: Philip takes Anne to a theatre, finally, but of course things go wrong.


**Author's Note: Hey, I actually had another idea for them! I thought it might be a one-time thing but I guess not :D **

**I'm sorry to anyone who gets annoyed by all the one-shots... I know some people were frustrated that I have been only posting one-shots for Spideychelle, but honestly I just like writing short stories better when it comes to fanfiction.**

**So I guess enjoy what you can get until I get long-term excited lol XD**

"Go to the theatre with me tonight."

Anne glanced up from where she was unwrapping the ribbons tied around her feet. She was fresh from practicing a new routine on her hoop, and her hair was a frizzy mess around her face. Philip thought she looked beautiful, as always.

"You have tickets to a show?" Anne asked in her soft, faintly accented voice.

"I'm going to get tickets to a show," Philip corrected. "If you agree to go with me."

He casually rested his hand on the table beside her and smiled in the most charming way possible. Anne brushed her hair back behind her ear and smiled bashfully back at him. "I would like to see a show," she murmured. "But only if it is with you."

"Then this works out perfectly," Philip said, straightening. "I'll meet you at the theatre at seven PM, then?"

Anne nodded and got to her feet. Her bare toes picked up the sand from the floor as she hurried out of her practice room, heading to change out of her costume and also to get away from Philip. She hated hiding things from him, but she didn't want to tell him how nervous she was.

The last time Anne had tried to go to the theatre, it had been the night that Philip had fundamentally disowned himself. She could still remember the way his parents eyes had landed on him and then jumped to her. They had widened comically, and then almost identical looks of shock and horror had crossed their faces.

Anne had always had fantasies of meeting her one true love. She would lay on her cot at night and dream about locking eyes with the perfect man. Then the dream would escalate to him taking her dancing and maybe she would even show him some of her favorite routines on the trampoline. And then, once the relationship got serious, she would be introduced to his family. They would be full of smiles and acceptance and they would love her immediately as something akin to a daughter, which she would eventually become to them.

Anne supposed she got lucky. Meeting Philip was almost exactly what she had dreamed about, right down to locking eyes with him and just knowing, deep down, that there was something special there. But meeting his parents had been one of the worst moments of her life.

She wanted to go to the theatre. She always had. But she was so afraid of the looks and the murmurs and the sideways glances. She loved Philip and she loved spending time with him, and she loved the way he accepted her. But no matter how long she worked at the circus, or how many times Philip told her that he didn't care that others might consider her taboo or different, she still couldn't shake her insecurities.

Anne decided to take the long way back to her and W.D.'s place. Her brother was still at the circus or out somewhere in town, so she had the building to herself. It was only five o'clock, but after she had washed up she walked to her closet and tried to find something to wear.

By the time Anne had finished picking out her outfit -a long, blue dress with a darker blue shawl- and done her hair and makeup, it was nearly time for her to meet Philip. As she headed for the door, W.D. walked in. "Where are you going?" he asked with a half-smile as she tried to skirt around him.

"Uhh," Anne eyed the door, trying to see if she could make a break for it. "Philip has invited me to the theatre to go and see a show."

W.D. raised his eyebrow. "Oh he has, has he?"

"Yes," Anne replied primly. "That's what happens when you court someone."

W.D. snorted. "Alright, have fun." She was almost out the door when he rested his hand on her shoulder. "Really, Anne. _Have fun_. Who cares what anyone else thinks about you and Philip? If you two are happy then nothing can touch you."

Anne nodded and quickly turned away, hurrying out the door. The clock tower had just struck seven when she arrived, slightly breathless, to find Philip standing by the entrance wearing a maroon top hat and matching scarf.

"I love that color on you," she murmured as he held out his arm to her, two tickets already in his hand.

"I know," he replied, leading her inside. "That's why I wore it."

The theatre looked just the same as it had a few months ago. Anne could remember the exact spot on the stairs that she and Philip had stopped and she had seen the looks on his parents' faces. She found she was holding her breath as they neared the steps, waiting for something bad to happen.

They passed the step and Anne released her breath in a whoosh, causing Philip to glance over at her. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she assured him, squeezing his arm slightly. "Let's just go insi-"

Her voice trailed off as she caught sight two grungy looking men hanging around on the top step. They saw her at exactly the same time and one of them let out a cackle. "Ha! Look at that, the circus freak decided to show her face."

"Circus _freaks_," his friend corrected, three missing front teeth making his voice whistle out of his mouth. "Don't forget spiffy over there."

"Rather look at him than her," Cackle sniggered.

Philip's jaw tightened and he took a step forward, breaking away from Anne. "That is quite enough from you two," he said angrily but with a remarkable amount of calm. "We are just here to enjoy the evening. Please don't make any trouble."

Gap-Tooth lifted his lip in a sneer and stepped away from the wall. Philip stood his ground. Anne clenched her fists together in front of her. Why couldn't they have at least made it to intermission before something awful happened? Was it really too much to ask?

"I _really_ don't want any trouble," Philip reiterated slowly. "Just let us go in and we will be out of your sights."

Cackle wrinkled his nose. "Yeah, yeah," he muttered, not seeming to be very interested now that he couldn't get a rise out of Philip. "We'll deal with it later."

Gap-Tooth gave him a disappointed look but Cackle just shook his head. "Already paid for the tickets," he shrugged. "I have a feeling that when I get ahold of you, I'll be getting kicked out of whatever building I'm in."

It was supposed to be an ominous threat, but Anne was just relieved that he was letting them go so easily. She grabbed Philip's arm and quickly dragged him through the door before he could change his mind and start beating up the two circus-protesters in her defense.

"_Why_ do people feel the need to be like that?" Philip asked aggrievedly as soon as they were out of earshot and heading to their seats. "Why can't they just- just mind their own business?"

"It's alright," Anne murmured.

"No, it's not alright!" he cried, spinning to look at her. "I know I always tell you just to ignore it and that they don't matter but- but this shouldn't _still_ be happening. When are people going to learn that just because we're different means that we're wrong?"

"I'd say never," Anne shrugged, tugging him along as the crowd that was thickening around them had to swerve to get by. "People will never be accepting. It's not in their nature, no matter what time you're in."

"So, what?" Philip took of his hat and squeezed the rim angrily. "We're just supposed to sit back and accept it?"

Anne shrugged again, gently taking the tickets from him to look at their seat numbers. "I don't know, Philip. But starting a fight in the lobby of the theatre isn't going to teach them a lesson. It's just going to make them angrier."

He opened his mouth to protest but she held up a finger to his lips. "Can we please just forget about it and enjoy the show?"

Philip let out a soft sigh and she lowered her hand. "Yes," he said, brushing a strand of hair out of her face as they once again stopped in the middle of the pathway. "Let's enjoy the show. You deserve at least that."

They found their seats and slid into the row, and Anne had a few seconds peace before the next blow hit.

"Excuse me?" A voice, paired with a sharp tap on her shoulder, made Anne look up. A middle aged woman with a saggy face and a poofy, fashionable clump of lace on her head was staring down at her.

Anne lowered her eyes respectfully. "Can I help you, Ma'am?"

"Are you-?" the woman glanced at her husband, seated beside her, as if for support. "Are you absolutely _sure_ you're supposed to be in this theatre? Or at least... seated there?"

"Yes," Anne said simply, turning back around. She felt frustration boiling up in her chest, but she clamped down on it by swallowing and taking a deep breath. Philip reached over and took her hand, wrapping his fingers around hers. A few moments later, Anne heard the couple behind them stand up, murmuring about seeing if there were other seats available.

"Oh, good," Philip murmured when they were gone. "They were probably the type to get mad at you for clapping. Besides, her perfume was choking me."

Anne managed a tight smile, but didn't reply. Philip was trying, she knew that. But she was starting to think that this had just been a bad idea and that she should possibly never leave home again.

Then the show started. Anne's mind was immediately swept away, and she was utterly captivated by the music and the language and the dancing until the house lights went up and signaled intermission.

"Come on," Philip said, standing up and stretching a little before offering her his hand. "Let's go get a drink."

Anne accepted his hand and they squeezed out of their row to head to the lobby. Philip got two classes of champagne before heading back to her, and Anne watched the bubbles float through the watery golden liquid with a smile on her face.

They had just about finished their drinks when Anne's attention was caught but a two younger woman who were standing with their own glasses and staring at her. "If she's coming out," one whispered, very loudly, to her friend. "She might as well actually wear something _appropriate_."

"I know," the other woman scoffed. "Where did she get that dress? The gentlemen's costume department?"

Anne's mouth fell open and she felt the arm holding her champagne fall to her side. The little bit that was left splashed onto the floor and Philip glanced over. "Anne? Is everything okay?"

Chest heaving with the strain of not crying, Anne put her glass down on the counter and spun on her heel. "I'm done," she said, eyes welling. "I'm going home."

"What?" Philip put his glass down too, so quickly he knocked it over in the process and didn't bother to catch it as it rolled across the countertop. "Anne! Wait, Anne!"

This time, he wasn't about to stand idly by on some steps and watch as she ran away. Philip hurried after her, pushing through the crowd with barely an apology, desperately trying to keep her in sight.

He caught her arm just before she reached the staircase that led towards the exit, and stopped her in her tracks. "Anne! Just wait a second."

Anne turned around, tears starting to stream down her cheeks. "I know I said that it's alright and- and that I could just deal with it but I am- I am so _tired_ of not even being able to go and have a fun evening with you at the theatre! What did I- what did I do to deserve this?"

Philip felt his chest tighten with the threat of tears of his own, and he took a painfully deep breath to try and stop them. "Anne.." he murmured, reaching forward and taking her hands in his. "You didn't- you didn't do anything. It's- It's people and their _blindness_ that can't see how beautiful and amazing and talented and incredible and _kind_ you are, and choose to just- just point their fingers at you!"

"Philip-"

"No, let me finish," Philip interrupted her, voice steadily raising in volume. "You know what? I'm sick and tired of it, too. Because if everyone could just spend a few _seconds_ inside of my head, they would love you! They would love you because I love you, and- and there's just so much to love."

Anne had stopped crying but her eyes were still sparkling. Her face was flushed, but Philip didn't know if it was because of embarrassment or pleasure. There was so much blood rushing in his ears that for a moment he didn't even realize that the lobby around them had gone completely silent. There was a ring of people standing around the two of them, gaping.

Then someone started to clap. "That was- was beautiful!" one woman called out, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief.

Anne took a step back from Philip, sending him a look that was an odd mix between frustrated, amused, and mortified. "Why do they only like us when we're giving them some sort of entertainment?" she asked aloud, letting out a sigh.

Philip shrugged and gave her a weak smile. "Well... I guess it could be worse."

She looked dubious, but then he offered her his arm. "We still have an act left. What do you say?"

Anne glanced around her. With nothing left to see, the crowd had started to disperse. No one was looking at her. It was as if she and Philip were a normal couple, on a normal date at the theatre.

And even though that might never be her life, it could be for tonight.

She took his arm and smiled. "I'd love to."

**Author's Note: MA BABIESSSSS...**

**Okay nooooo fine Brainia and Spideychelle are my babies not EVERYONE can be my babies jeez WTY XD **


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